Hello to you all. I am a new member and have just purchased a 1988 f250 diesel with an axel code of 39. Could anyone tell me the towing capacity of this truck.
Many thanks.

 

Most important consideration when buying a truck camper is weight. The camper you will carry will be determined in large part by the truck you intend to put it on. Most own their truck first (if you plan to buy a new truck and a new camper, determine the camper you want first). If you own your truck already first thing is to look at the Gross Vehicle Weight Ratio (GVWR) listed on the door edge of your truck. The GVWR is the maximum weight of you fully loaded truck. Next, you should have your truck weighed with a full tank of gas at a public scale (at truck stops, waste disposal sites, and some states allow you to use the highway scales to name a few). Subtract the weight of your truck at the scale from your trucks GVWR and that determines how much camper you can carry. For example, the typical ¾ ton truck will weigh about 6,200 lbs unloaded (depending on manufacturer and optional equipment). ¾ ton trucks usually have a GVWR of 8,800 lbs. The math is simple; 8,800 – 6,200 lbs means you would be able to carry a 2600 lb camper fully loaded with all gear, food, people, liquids and anything else.

Now the subtleties begin. You may weigh your truck as described above, but in the glove box you find a sticker from the manufacturer that says the limit for a slide in camper is only 1850 lbs, so what gives? Why did weighing the camper determine that you should be able to carry a 2600 lb camper? The glove box sticker is usually assuming that your truck has all seats filled with 150 lb adults. If you were alone when you had the truck weighed (and you weigh 150 lbs) the math would work out perfectly. You at 150lbs + gas = 2600, and 2600-(150 x 5 empty seats)= 1850 lbs. Clearly, who will be the passengers in your specific case will vary. Few people drive with all truck seats filled, so he glove box sticker is usually conservative by at least 300 lbs, that’s why going to a truck scale is important.

When you take your truck to a public scale, its important to not only get a weight for the total truck, but to also get a weight for each axle (the weight on the front tires and the rear tires). If you are going to be over the GVWR, you will really need to know what your truck’s allowable axle weights are. Even if you are within your truck’s GVWR fully loaded, you still need to know that the axle weights are not exceeded. In the same place you find the manufacturer’s GVWR on the truck, there will be a listing of the front and rear axle maximum weights. The typical ¾ ton truck will have a front axle allowable weight of around 4500 lbs, and the rear axle limit is usually 6084 lbs. Typically unloaded at the scale this truck will weigh 3600 lbs in front and 2600 lbs at the rear tires (notice they total the 6,200 lbs of total truck weight). On this truck, the maximum load on the rear axel would be 3,484 lbs. Whoa, your saying, why is it overall I’m only allowed 2600 lbs going by the GVWR and yet my rear axle can clearly take 3,400+ lbs? I can’t give you a clear answer to this, but if you’re wondering why 80% of all truck & camper combos travel thousands of miles without incident, the answer is partially here. For more about what limits a truck’s axle rating, read the section about tires.

It’s no coincidence that any truck whose rear axle is listed to allow 6084 lbs maximum has tires that have a maximum load is 3042 lbs each stamped on the sidewall. The logic is simple, if each tire can only carry 3042 lbs each, combine them and that’s 6084, and tires are made of rubber so they are the most flexible and vulnerable part of the suspension system. Nearly all trucks have axles that can carry more than the stock tire ratings, but that information is very hard to find. What you will find however is that many truck campers will weigh more than 3400 lbs loaded and that the total weight on the rear axel will be more than 6084 lbs. Now you’re wondering how those overloaded campers get away with this. Simple, they’ve weighed their rig, determined that it’s overweight, and have done something about it Namely they buy tires and rims that are rated to carry the load they know they have. If in my example, if you have a 4000 lb loaded camper on a truck and the rear axel unloaded weighed 2600 lbs, then you’ve discovered that the rear axel weighs 6600 lbs with the camper on and loaded. What you need are tires and rims that are at least rated to carry that load. The next most common tire rating is 3415 lbs, which would make them capable of supporting 6,830 lbs, which is not much of a margin of error, but it’s better than being overweight. Tires are probably the weakest link in the suspension system. They are susceptible to load, changing air pressure, heat build up and they contact the road where hazards abound. It’s very important to have your truck and camper weighed to make sure your tires are rated to carry the load you are putting on them.

If you decide on changing your stock tire type, there are more things to consider than just the tire's load rating. ¾ and 1 ton trucks usually come with E rated tires, but not all E rated tires have the same load rating. This has to do with much more than tire size. The number of sidewall ply’s, the way the tires are made, tread type and other factors effect what load range can be stamped on the tire. The sizes can be confusing too; I know they are to me. Recently, most trucks have come with 16” diameter rims.

O.K., you’re human. You want more camper than your truck’s GVWR says it can handle, and you can’t afford to replace your truck with a new one. What have other owners done? What they have done is like the tire example; they have taken steps to modify their trucks to handle the extra weight better. I am not advocating you overload your truck. I am simply relaying the same information available in countless threads on this forum.

After making sure you have tires that can handle the load, you need to help the factory-equipped springs. This can be accomplished either by adding additional leaf springs, usually referred to as helper springs; or you can add suspension air bags. Do NOT confuse suspension air bags with air shocks. Suspension air bags are connected between the truck frame and the truck axle directly. Air shocks are connected between the frame and the axle by a small pin that cannot carry the additional weight of a camper.

The advantage of helper springs is that they require no maintenance. Air bags adjust to the load by the amount of air pressure inside. This air pressure can be adjusted depending on your load conditions, and when the camper is off the truck, all of the air can be emptied to restore your ride to a softer condition. With either the helper springs or the air bags, you need to buy a product that is rated for the weight of your loaded axle (see Truck Campers- Axle Weights).

The shocks that came with your truck will undoubtedly not be up to the task of carrying a camper, overloaded or not. You will want to upgrade. There are two main approaches for shock absorber upgrades. Self-adjusting shocks change their dampening effect based on how much force is asserted every time they’re depressed. The other option is manually adjusted shock absorber where you change the shocks setting depending on the weight you put in your truck. The advantages of self-adjusting shocks are obvious, but the disadvantage is you cannot change them if you find they are not quite working well in the driving condition you experience. The advantage of the adjustable shock is that you can find the setting that works best for you; the disadvantage is that they are either adjusted at the shock itself, or require the installation of an expensive in cab adjusting system.

You may find that your truck sways from side to side too much with a camper on. All campers will make most trucks sway more than the truck does unloaded, but if the sway is excessive, you probably do not have an anti sway bar. This is a bar that connects to the axle near each tire and connects to the frame. When an extra load is applied to one tire, the twisting force in the anti sway bar pulls that load up and puts some force on the opposite tire. Aftermarket sway bars are available for most makes and models of trucks that did not come with them.

 

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1974Ford...very nice post

 

Well you know all about hauling, towing is somewhat the same.
Ford recommends 20,000 max gross for the entire rig.
So when you weigh the truck, subtract that number from 20,000 and you know how much trailer you can tow.

A non turbo 7.3 will be slow on the uphill when close to 20,000 pounds gross, but it will pull it.

If you are pulling something other than a camper or boat, the answer gets a lot harder.

What are you wanting to tow?

 

I don't think i will ever tow more than a 20 ft boat or another truck.

 

OK as long as it is a recreational use, you can just about do what you want.

When you are doing work related stuff it is a whole different ball game.
DOT numbers
Big dollars and high weights on your registration plates which will be commercial plates.
Big insurance bills.
Emergency kit, flares, flags, fire extinguisher.....